Monday Afternoon News, Sept 24

Mercy Medical Center Celebrates "Mercy Day"

(Sioux City) -- Mercy Medical Center of Sioux City is celebrating "Mercy Day" today, and Jim Wharton, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development says it is a day to honor Mercy's founder, Sister Catherine McAuley, and to perform services of "mercy". Wharton says it is a big day for the people of the Sioux City hospital . Listen to

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The hospital held a dedication ceremony this morning to officially bless and dedicate the new patient courtyard area. Listen to

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The hospital official says nearly all of Mercy's employees get behind the effort and show their support for Mercy Day.

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Wharton says several hospital employees are also taking advantage of Mercy Day by volunteering for various community events throughout the Siouxland area.

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Fourth "Cash Mob" Scheduled For Thursday

(Le Mars) -- Thursday, will be the fourth and final "Cash Mob" as sponsored by the Le Mars Chamber of Commerce. For the last cash mob, participants are asked to gather in front of the Chamber offices at 12:00 noon. Mary Reynolds of the Chamber office says for the final "cash mob" a food establishment located outside the downtown area will be selected. Listen to

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Reynolds says the "cash mob" consists of a mob of people visiting one particular business and agreeing to spend at least $20 at that business.Those businesses that were selected for the first three cash mobs were the Rust Western Shed, Cork-It, and Fareway. Reynolds says the cash mob was a new promotion idea for the community. She says overall, the campaign proved to be successful. She reminds shoppers to start with Le Mars first. Listen to

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Reynolds isn't certain whether the Chamber will host a "cash mob" campaign for next summer, but she is getting ready for the holiday campaign.

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Heroin Dealer Given 16 Years

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) - A 31-year-old Chicago man has been given more than 16 years in a federal prison for conspiring to sell heroin within 1,000 feet of a school in Cedar Rapids. Walter Dixon was sentenced last week to 194 months in prison and eight years of supervised release after he leaves custody. Prosecutors say that at his sentencing, Dixon acknowledged that the heroin he distributed caused the death of one person in June last year and nearly killed another of his customers a month later. Prosecutors also say Dixon had sold heroin near Polk Elementary School and Coe College in Cedar Rapids.

Campaigns For Judge Retention / Removal Started Today

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - The campaigns for and against Iowa Supreme Court Justice David Wiggins launched competing bus tours at the state Capitol. Social conservatives seeking to oust Wiggins in a November retention vote were led Monday morning by former candidate for governor Bob Vander Platts and former Republican presidentialcandidate Rick Santorum. They gathered in front of the Capitol by two buses with "No Wiggins" logos. Once that event ended, another backed by the Iowa State Bar began. Speakers included Republican Gov. Terry Branstad's niece, Christine Branstad, an attorney. They called for retaining Wiggins, who angered social conservatives when he joined in a unanimous 2009ruling legalizing same-sex marriage in Iowa. Wiggins supporters say Vander Plaats claims his effort is a grassroots movement, but it's funded by out-of-state groups opposed to gay marriage.

Iowa Inmate Dies

CORALVILLE, Iowa (AP) - Authorities say a 53-year-old inmate assigned to the Iowa Medical & Classification Center in Coralville has died while in the prison hospice program. The Iowa Corrections Department says Paul Blakey Jr. died Monday of melanoma. Blakey had been serving a maximum of five years after being convicted in Scott County for violating the law regarding registration by sex offenders. He'd been sentenced on March 4 last year.